1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an aerodynamic ventilated protective garment which may take the form of a jacket or coat. The garment is especially configured and structured for wear by individuals who are riding on or operating open-air sport motor vehicles, such as motorcycles, dune buggies, ATV'S, ATC's, and perhaps even open-air aircraft, such as ultra-light aircraft. These operators and passengers are subjected to the elements, need physical protection for their person, desire to not be buffeted or to have their garments “balloon” or to flap in the high speed air flow caused by movement of their vehicle, and also desire an adequate ventilation air flow during warm-weather and hot-weather conditions. Also, these operators and passengers of open-air sport motor vehicles generally desire to obtain the best possible performance from their sport vehicles, and reducing aerodynamic drag is an important consideration in realizing this desire. Further, such operators and passengers in many cases will be wearing a protective crash helmet, and the airflow caused by the movement of the vehicle will flow about this helmet. In many cases, the airflow about a passenger's or operator's helmet and outer garment causes turbulence, which undesirably buffets the person and increases aerodynamic drag.
2. Related Technology
Operators of motorcycles and other sports motor vehicles have long sought to protect themselves from injury in the event of a mishap, such as a fall from a moving motorcycle and subsequent slide on gravel or pavement. Thus, it is seen that protection from impact and abrasion are both important to operators of such sport motor vehicles. Competition motorcycle riders have commonly worn full “leathers”, which are a full cover-all type of leather suit, many having built in panels of cushioning or protective body armor, or abrasion resistant panels. Such a full leather suit can provide good protection from both impact and abrasion.
However, in cool weather, a leather motorcycle riding suit can be chilly to wear. Leather by itself does not provide very good insulation. On the other hand, in warm weather, the full leather motorcycle riding suit can be very warm to wear as leather does not allow much ventilation by itself. Consequently, for warm-weather wear, such “leathers” made to include perforated leather panels have been available. But, leathers made to include perforated leather are not at all suitable for wear during cold riding conditions. Consequently, these “racing style leathers”, are generally made for the particular conditions under which they are to be used, and are not practical for wear by the street motorcycle rider and for other operators and passengers on open-air sport motor vehicles who encounter widely varying environmental conditions.
Further, operators of high performance competition motorcycles have long used aerodynamic aids on their motorcycles and on their racing apparel to reduce buffeting and to improve air flow over the rider's helmet and leathers. These aerodynamic aids have included such things as various configurations of fairings on the motorcycles (even extending to the full “dust bin” type of motorcycle fairings), fins, scoops, and winglets on the motorcycle fairings, and also fins and air scoops on the rider's helmet.
In particular, one aerodynamic expedient or aid that has been used on the apparel of competition motorcycle riders is an aerodynamic “hump structure” disposed on the back of the rider's leathers and immediately behind the rider's helmet when the rider is in the position occupied when at speed on the motorcycle. This aerodynamic “hump structure” helps reduce aerodynamic drag, and reduces buffeting of the rider by smoothing airflow over the helmet, and by smoothing airflow rearwardly from the helmet along the back of the leathers at speed. Such an aerodynamic “hump structure” has not heretofore been used on apparel for street motorcycle riders.
Particularly, the competition type of aerodynamic hump structure, while advantageous aerodynamically, is very hot for the rider in warm weather. That is, there is no ventilation provided, and the smooth airflow over the rider's helmet and leathers may actually make it more difficult for the rider to achieve adequate ventilation, and to remain cool, dry, and mentally fresh during warm riding conditions. Consequently, competition riders have complained of being sweaty, over heated, and fatigued because of such lack of ventilation of their racing apparel. But, competition riders still continue to use this apparel because of its advantages in competition.
For the street motorcycle rider, such considerations would rule out the use of the aerodynamic hump structure on the rider's apparel. Nevertheless, street motorcycle riders have favored various leather jackets and coats because of the abrasion resistance provided by the leather in the event of a spill from the moving motorcycle. Many of these jackets traditionally do not have any form of body armor for the rider. Some have no particular provision for ventilation to the rider in warm and hot weather. Particularly in hot weather, leather apparel can be uncomfortably warm to wear. However, even in hot weather some motorcycle riders endure the discomfort of a leather jacket, not because it is needed for protection from the elements, but because of concerns for personal safety and survival in the event of a spill from the street motorcycle at any speed.
On the other hand, in hot weather some cavalier motorcycle riders partially or fully open the front zipper or snaps of their jacket in order to allow the moving air stream to rush in. Such an expedients decreases the effective protection level afforded by the leather jacket of coat. That is, this expedient is very unsafe because it allows the jacket to billow or whip in the air stream, possibly compromising the rider's ability to control the vehicle, and certainly contributing to rider fatigue after a period of being subjected the whipping leather jacket. Fatigue and the resulting decrease in the rider's situational awareness may be a contributing factor in many motorcycle accidents. Importantly, in the event of a spill, an open jacket or coat is more likely to slide up the wearer's torso, and provide little or no protection against abrasion. And, an open front zipper can allow stones to enter the jacket during a fall and slide.
Some motorcycle jackets even include cuff openings on the sleeves, and some riders leave these openings unsecured during warm weather in order to obtain some ventilation. Open cuffs are also very dangerous because the sleeves of the jacket of coat may slide up the forearms during a fall and slide, allowing the forearms to be badly abraded by the gravel or pavement along which the individual may be sliding after a fall from the moving vehicle.
So to, street motorcycle riders generally wish to enjoy the maximum possible performance from their motorcycle, while still being able to ride in a widely varying environment encountered by the street rider, and not having to purchase a wide variety of different garments for wear under varying conditions. Thus, the designer of apparel for the street rider is faced with a daunting set of requirements.
Over some time in the past, leather and fabric jackets and coats with provisions for ventilation while closed and still providing adequate protection to the wearer have been developed. Examples of leather coats and jackets which are conventional are seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,715, issued Sep. 2, 1986 to Richard Miller and John Wyckoff; in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,715, issued Apr. 21, 1992 to Paul Golde, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,042, issued Apr. 16, 1996 to Michael van der Slessen. German patent publication No. DE 3818-566-A1 published Dec. 7, 1989, provides another example of this conventional approach to providing protection and ventilation to riders of motorcycles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,336 provides an example of a fabric jacket or coat that well suits the wide range of requirements for a street motorcycle rider.